About 35 years ago, the then government initiated a commission on 'remuneration and conditions of service in the Defence Forces'.
The Government and senior officers were warned as far back as 1989 of seriously inadequate procedures for dealing with bullying and sexual harassment in the military, decades before issues were highlighted by Women of Honour campaigners.
About 35 years ago, the then government initiated a commission on "remuneration and conditions of service in the Defence Forces". There were three teams self-selected in the Defence Forces to represent the views of their peers.
This occurred before the recognition and establishment of Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, or PDForra, which included wives regularly picketing outside military installations to improve the poor pay and conditions their husbands were enduring.
At the time it was agreed there would be input from representatives from officers, NCOs (non-commissioned officers) and privates to feed into the survey.
These representatives covered the then four army brigade commands around the country — which has since been reduced to three — as well as the navy and aircrew.
The NCO team made a written submission to the Government via the commission about the 'Redress of Wrongs' complaint procedure.
Back then they wrote: "The procedure is now held to be a meaningless ritual with little or no hope of actual redress in the end. There is also the perception that if a person applies for redress, they may become the subject of 'special treatment' or some form of victimisation.
The procedure has now lost all credibility and is now more or less ignored by most NCOs. This has led to a good deal of pent-up frustration on the part of personnel with grievances of one sort or another and a more effective system of redress urgently needs to be put in place.
In 1990 this statement was contained as a matter of record in the Gleeson report into the commission of remuneration and conditions of service in the Defence Forces.
Dr Michael Martin, then a warrant officer in the navy, was the NCOs team spokesperson to the 1989 commission.
He was heavily involved in the struggle to gain recognition for PDForra and took a constitutional case against the State to acquire the right of association for members of the Defence Forces.
When the association was recognised by the Defence Amendment Act of 1990, he became its first general secretary.
He told the Irish Examiner that military leadership, the Department of Defence and government knew all about bullying and sexual assaults but “nothing was done”.
“In the ensuing years, PDForra relentlessly campaigned for improvements in the system and were responsible for a reluctant government and Department of Defence introducing a military ombudsman. They [PDForra] continue to this day to seek improvements in the system,” he said.
Women of Honour is a group of former members who have spoken of sexual abuse, harassment, and discrimination in the Defence Forces. The Government this month approved the terms of reference for a tribunal into the Defence Forces’ handling of bullying, harassment and sexual assault allegations.